Book Review: Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 288
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions.

But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom.

Review

Six reasons I loved Tuesdays at the Castle

1.Family

I thought Tuesdays at the Castle was going to be all about Celie, and while Celie is the main focus (the third person narration has a focus on her), her older brother and sister are just as important.

I loved this! The interaction between the siblings was sweet and fun. I actually loved Celie's brother and sister so much that I would read the story all over again told from each of their perspectives.

2. Pogue 

This is a MG book, so the romance is really, really minimal (like, only implied), but Pogue is where it's at and his devil-may-care, charming and flirty personality makes him a character to watch.

Maybe we could get a book told from Lilah's perspective so I can get more Pogue (Pogue has a little thing going on with Celie's older sister Lilah)? I could go for that!

3. A character who owns a pile of puppies 

Puppies! I'm firmly in the camp that believes puppies make everything better.

4. Celie

She gets a sleepover party invite! Celie is everything I want in a MC--she's inquisitive, determined, and she so gets the value of secret passageways.

And, yeah, maybe after watching the requisite scary movie at our sleepover party we'd both pull out our childhood stuffed animals that we told all our friends we got rid of ages ago but really we didn't. But that's ok because we both understand that sometimes nothing can offer comfort like that old stuffed animal friend.

Basically what I'm saying here is that Celie may be super awesome for standing up against some pretty rotten characters, but she's a real girl with courage AND fears and I could totally relate to her while also admiring her.

Plus, she's a princess, so there's automatic points for that.

5. Castle Glower

If I hadn't already been sold on reading Tuesdays at the Castle because this is a Jessica Day George book and I'll read anything she writes, that castle that magically adds new rooms and features would have cinched the deal.

Half the reason I read so many castle/mansion books is because I get to explore big houses! The idea of a castle that is constantly growing and changing and adding new cool secret passageways (can you tell I have a thing for secret passageways?) and magical objects is just so full of win that I think they need to invent a new level of awesome just for Castle Glower.

The fact that the castle is also effectively a character in its own right who loves the royal family just makes the whole thing explode with awesomeness even more. Do you remmeber Nana from Peter Pan? You know, the dog who watches over the children? Imagine if she was a castle and could create magical objects. Pretty neat, right?

6. Political intrigue

This is a MG book, but I think the political intrigue was still pretty entertaining. I really wished I could reach into the book and start slapping the bad guys. They cook up some nasty schemes, and I liked how new layers were peeled back, slowly exposing their duplicity.

Of course this is a MG book, so none of the bad guys got a (well deserved) actual skewering, but Jessica Day George gave me plenty of opportunities to laugh at their comeuppances.

And, while I knew everything would work out in the end (it's a Jessica Day George book--she never fails to give me the Happily Ever After I want), there were a bunch of times where I was so wrapped up in the characters' plights that I was practically plunged alongside them into the depths of despair wondering how in the world they were going to fix everything.

Stars off?

I'm kind of just a tensy little bit of an impatient reader (which is probably the biggest understatement of the year). So the slower beginning made me a little antsy. It wasn't like nothing was happening, but it felt like there was a lot of waiting around in the beginning.

Pogue also gets sent off on a quest-type mission and I'll admit that I pouted and may have even stomped my foot a little when I realized *I* wasn't tagging along.

Instead I was stuck in the castle (which, yeah, I know as far as consolation prizes go this one wasn't half bad. But, but, I missed out on a QUEST, with Pogue! It kinda felt like getting stuck at the kiddie table when all the grownups are discussing juicy secrets).

Bottom line

I am a fawning, pom-pom waving fangirl for Jessica Day George, and Tuesdays at the Castle just reminded me again why. Somehow she always manages to spin a cotton candy confection of fluffy happy goodness with a captivating plot, endearing characters, and seriously bad villains.

Lucky for me, Tuesdays at the Castle is just the beginning! There will be at least two more books about Celie and her magical castle (and her brother and sister? And Pogue? I hope!)

But, don't let that scare you off because Tuesdays at the Castle can totally be read as a standalone. In fact, if I hadn't read on Jessica Day George's blog that there would be sequels, I never would have thought there was more to come (but I am SO so looking forward to more!)

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Tuesdays at the Castle that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

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